Campbell House Museum
Tattered, brittle, and delicate, this 119-page diary had survived more than one hundred years when this image was made. Hugh Campbell wrote on the front and back of each page in consistently neat script. A testament to his home-based education, Hugh’s spelling and grammar are exceptional and the journal is highly readable to modern eyes. He took extra care to title the front page with bold ornamental letters. On close examination, you can see that he drew guide lines with a straight edge above and below the text to ensure he kept the page orderly. Campbell House Museum does not have the original, only a Photostat—an early duplication process that produced negative images. This is a reverse of the original.
Family in St. Louis
Hugh’s younger brother Robert Campbell, a wealthy fur trader and entrepreneur, spent most of his adult life in St. Louis—he came to America a few years after Hugh. Robert’s home, with all the original furnishings, has been restored as the Campbell House Museum. Though Hugh spent forty-one years of his life in Philadelphia, he and his wife Mary moved to St. Louis in 1859, settling just blocks away from the Robert Campbell family. The brothers could then conduct their mercantile business from a single location as the possibility of a civil war became almost certain. The location of the original diary is unknown; this copy exists because it was presented as evidence in the Campbell estate case (1938-1945) after Robert and Virginia’s last surviving son, Hazlett, died. Since the Campbell sons did not have children of their own, members of the extended family who hoped to share in the $2 million family fortune had to provide proof of kinship. Ellen Jane McCulloch Eaton, Robert and Hugh’s great niece, submitted Hugh’s diary to prove she was related to Robert. It was during this court case the Photostat of the journal was made.
An Emigrant’s Tale
After Hugh wrote the journal in 1819, he sent it back to his family in Ireland as a sort of travelogue of his journey. Not only did it serve to keep his family abreast of his activities and the culture and customs of the United States, but it was also a guide for Robert who would make the trip three years later. Hugh shares the details of the seemingly ill-fated beginning of his journey, the lifelong friends he made on board the Phoenix, and the challenges he faced trying to find a job after he arrived. With the narratives and life-lessons presented in this document, Robert’s travel to a new country went more smoothly. He knew how to prepare for the sea voyage and the shady characters he would inevitably meet along the way. It is no surprise that after reading Hugh’s adventures, Robert’s journey was not noteworthy. Robert and Hugh’s older brother, Andrew, still in Ireland even chastised Robert for not keeping a diary of his trip: “Why did you not send me A Journal of your Travels? You know nothing could be more interesting to me….” Hugh Campbell’s diary presents a compelling record of the trails and adventures encountered by immigrants seeking a better life in America.
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